Get Loud! | Interview with Rock Band KingQueen

The rock band KingQueen might be based in LA, but if you consider the fact that Sabrina, the lead singer, is a Polish-Italian raised in Sweden, while the bassist, Marky, is American and the guitarist and drummer, Dario and Edoardo, are both Italian, then the group starts to seem more Italian than American!

Despite what might seem like very different backgrounds, this international mix of musicians has no problem getting along with each other, thanks to the shared philosophy that in life you need to “Get Loud!” With that in mind, we sat down to talk with most of KingQueen (Marky couldn’t join us) about their music and international perspective.

KingQueen

KingQueen

Why did you leave Italy and move here?

Dario: I always dreamed of moving to “America.” When I was 21 and had the chance to attend school here I said “Guess what? I want to give it a try!” When I was still in Italy, I looked on the internet and Facebook to find Italian people who could give me advice here in LA. By chance, the first people I contacted were Edoardo and Sabrina who were on the school’s web page.

It’s crazy that you decided to leave Italy, but your first step was to contact Italian people in LA, isn’t it?

Edoardo: Yes, but you know it’s easier with people who have the same roots and background and come from the same country. But it’s just important in the beginning and then that’s it.

Dario and Sabrina

Why did you move here, Edoardo?

E: I moved here three years ago because of music as well. I had a scholarship at the Music School of Pasadena. I went there, I studied there, I graduated there and from that I started gigging around and having some shows…

When you say “I came here because of music,” what do you mean? Are there more opportunities here or is it that the type of music is different?

D: Everybody knows that America has more opportunities in the music industry.

Sabrina: In Sweden, either you’re in or you’re out. There’s one type of music. If you’re very different from that type, you don’t really fit in. America is so big and has space for everyone. You don’t have to be American to be successful, you just have to be good at what you do. In Sweden it is more like: where are you from? In America it’s more like: what can you do?

On stage | KingQueen

Do you think performing here, the concert culture, is different from Italy?

E: I think here you can do more original stuff. When I was gigging in Italy I played mainly covers, that’s it. People don’t go out and listen to new music as much. I think Bologna was the coolest spot because there’s underground stuff and places where you can go and listen to new music, but that’s pretty much it. The circle is always the same there: same sounds, people, music.

Edoardo

How did you choose the name of the band?

S: When I got here I used to hang out with dragqueens a lot. They were always calling each other queen but I’m not a queen so they just started calling me kingqueen. At that time it wasn’t like “oh my god, my band’s name is gonna be kingqueen,” but it was part of my identity and then when I got signed I decided to keep it as an artist name…

Do you see the band still together in a distant future?

S: Yes, because I think this is the first time – especially for me, who started many years ago – that I really feel like I have a band that’s together. You can find amazing musicians, but that doesn’t mean your personality will click with theirs, no matter how much you want it. When I play with him [Dario] – and you can check because there are millions of pictures – I’m always by his side. I just feel him and he feels me. I feel like the four of us have this energy; we get along together, we can discuss things, nobody walks out of the room. That’s the way it should be.

KingQueen

Lets say you’re really really famous, what do you ask for backstage?

S: Water for me! No crazy stuff, like you know people say: I want blue M&M’s… since when do you like blue M&M’s? what is the difference between the red and the blue ones? There is none! I don’t like that kind of stuff … I just want water! Because that’s what I usually do, I just drink water, why would I ask for more?

When was your last show?

S: Last weekend in North Dakota. We really enjoyed it, it was really cool because they told us about hunting bears …

KingQueen

Which of your songs is the most tattooable?

S: I feel like all of them are – “Don’t Say You’re Sorry,” “Don’t Wanna Be Friends,” “Just Go Home” – but maybe not “James Dean” because then people would ask “Do you like James Dean?” ”No it’s the song!”

E: You should tattoo the entire album!

D: I really like “Get Loud!”

S: We always say “get loud with us!” It means a lot of things. You can get loud by screaming or by actually being quiet, it’s meant as “speak up!” It’s like political self-improvement: be loud, be yourself!

Young KingQueen

At the end of the interview we looked to mix things up with this tight-knit group of friends. Instead of directly asking each member a question, we asked about their bandmate’s likes and dislikes.

Dario tells us about Edoardo

Favourite singer:I guess his favourite band is Foo Fighters, but his favourite singer is Sabrina of course!

Favorite song:I don’t know because it depends on the day you pick and what he’s doing. I know it’s not “Californication,” that’s not his favourite song but that’s the only thing I know for sure … maybe U2!

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